Special Correspondent //

The government has not discussed the so-called ‘humanitarian corridor’ with the UN or any other organization, said the Press Secretary to the Chief Advisor, Shafiqul Alam.

He said that no decision has been taken yet to send humanitarian aid to Rakhine. We are in touch with the relevant parties. This issue will be discussed with the relevant stakeholders of the country in due course.

Shafiqul Alam said these things on Tuesday in response to a question raised on his verified Facebook page about providing a corridor to Rakhine.

The Press Secretary said, we want to make it clear that the government has not discussed the so-called ‘humanitarian corridor’ with the UN or any other organization. Our position is that if an initiative is taken to provide humanitarian aid to Rakhine under the leadership of the UN, Bangladesh is ready to provide significant logistical support.

He said that according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Rakhine State is currently facing an extreme humanitarian crisis. Bangladesh has always helped other countries in times of crisis, such as the humanitarian aid we sent after the recent earthquake in Myanmar. We are also concerned that if the humanitarian plight in Rakhine continues, it could lead to a fresh influx of displaced people into Bangladesh, which we cannot bear any longer.

The Press Secretary said, we believe that humanitarian relief assistance with the help of the United Nations will help stabilize Rakhine and create a conducive environment for refugees to return to their country. In the current situation, the only viable route for aid to reach Rakhine is through Bangladesh. Bangladesh agrees in principle to provide logistical support to deliver relief through this route.

However, no decision has been taken yet on sending humanitarian aid to Rakhine. We are in touch with the relevant parties. This will be discussed with the relevant stakeholders of the country in due course, said Shafiqul Alam.

He said, where the involvement of a major power is being talked about, it is completely baseless and fabricated propaganda. This is part of the continuous false and conspiratorial propaganda that has been carried out against Bangladesh in recent months. We have seen this kind of propaganda before, and it is still going on.

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